Taken over from AOPSUser.
[Overview]
[SET]
name: RestTalk
move 1: Rest
move 2: Sleep Talk
move 3: Will-O-Wisp
move 4: Seismic Toss
item: Eviolite
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 176 Def / 80 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Ghost-types such as Froslass, Mismagius, and Sableye are the biggest threats to this set, as they are immune to Seismic Toss and can Taunt Dusclops to prevent it from using its other moves. Nasty Plot users, such as Zoroark and the previously mentioned Mismagius, can abuse Dusclops's weaknesses and use it as setup bait. Although RestTalk Snorlax can't do much back, it can shrug off the burn from Will-O-Wisp with Rest and force Dusclops out with Whirlwind. Choice Scarf Heracross can take on all of these Pokemon and can also switch in on Will-O-Wisp from Mismagius or Sableye thanks to Guts. Flash Fire users such as Arcanine, Chandelure, and Houndoom can pose a threat, switching in on Will-O-Wisp and forcing Dusclops out. Running a bulky Water-type on your team, such as Milotic or Suicune, can alleviate this problem, scaring off the Flash Fire users with STAB Scald. Due to the new sleep mechanics, using Heal Bell support in the form of Umbreon is a good idea, letting you cure Dusclops of the sleep status should it be forced to switch out.</p>
<p>Toxic can be used over Will-O-Wisp, as this will make it easier to wear down Milotic, whom would otherwise switch in on Will-O-Wisp and abuse Marvel Scale. However, if you are having problems with Milotic, you are better off using a special attacker that can hit it super effectively, such as Raikou, Roserade, or Zapdos, in order to deal with it.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Out of Dusclops's other options, Trick Room stands out the most. With Trick Room, Dusclops can support a slow, hard-hitting Pokemon such as Escavalier. However, Dusclops cannot abuse it itself due to its abysmal offensive stats. A Calm Mind set with an EV spread of 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD and a Bold nature can be used to boost its mediocre Special Attack and raise its already good Special Defense to a godlike level, but this is better left to other Calm Mind users such as Chandelure and Suicune. Dusclops has options such as Curse, Destiny Bond, and Memento, which can put your opponent in a tough spot, but all three of these options can end up sacrificing Dusclops at the wrong time. Dusclops does indeed learn Taunt, but it is too slow to use it effectively. Night Shade hits Ghost-type Pokemon unlike Seismic Toss, but more often than not it is a waste because Dusclops loses to its Ghost-type brethren one-on-one. A set using Dusclops's other form of recovery, Pain Split, can be used, but it is not as effective as Rest because as the opposition gets worn down more and more, Dusclops will recover even less HP, making it easier to kill.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Special set-up sweepers carrying super effective STAB attacks, particularly Chandelure, Mismagius, and Zoroark, are more than capable of forcing Dusclops out and using it as setup bait. Assuming Life Orb is the held item, they will all OHKO Dusclops with their super effective STAB moves after it has switched into Stealth Rock once and will 2HKO Dusclops without the residual damage. However, Zoroark needs to be careful about switching in repeatedly, since it lacks an immunity to Seismic Toss, and Chandelure and Mismagius must look out for Night Shade.</p>
<p>Flash Fire users, such as Arcanine, Houndoom, and the aforementioned Chandelure, get a boost to their Fire-type attacks upon switching in on Will-O-Wisp, and proceed to always do enough damage to Dusclops to prevent it from effectively using Rest against them. In a similar fashion, Choice Band or Swords Dance Heracross can switch in on Will-O-Wisp thanks to Guts, and start dealing lots of damage to Dusclops or set up on it, respectively.</p>
<p>If Dusclops is not using Toxic, Milotic can easily switch in on Will-O-Wisp to get the Marvel Scale boostand either phaze Dusclops with Dragon Tail or try to burn it with Scald. RestTalk Suicune doesn't care about status and, like Milotic, can either phaze it or attempt to burn it with Scald.</p>
<p>Taunt users, such as Crobat and Mew, stop Dusclops from recovering with Rest or burning them and are able to heal damage taken from Seismic Toss with Roost or Recover, respectively. Xatu isn't affected by Will-O-Wisp thanks to its ability, Magic Bounce, and can wear Dusclops down with Night Shade and Roost off the damage Dusclops deals to it.</p>
[Overview]
<p>Back in the days of ADV OU, Dusclops was the best spinblocker in the game. However, DPP added its evolved form, Dusknoir, as well as the Rotom formes, causing Dusclops to fall to the NU tier. Just when it seemed that Dusclops would be condemned to disuse, the shift from DPP to BW brought it the Eviolite. With this item, Dusclops's already solid base 130 Defense and Special Defense are boosted to levels near that of Shuckle's. With this boost, Dusclops is capable of taking numerous neutral hits despite its abysmal base 40 HP. It also has access to Will-O-Wisp, making Dusclops one of the premier physical walls in the game.</p>
<p>However, there are several factors that hinder Dusclops's usefulness in UU. First and foremost, it has no reliable recovery, forcing it to rely on Pain Split or Rest, with the former being unreliable and the latter potentially turning into a liability. Despite the fact that it only has two weaknesses, Ghost and Dark, Nasty Plot users can exploit these weaknesses to use Dusclops as setup bait. With base 70 Attack and base 60 Special Attack, it has no offensive presence, forcing it to rely on Night Shade or Seismic Toss to deal damage. As the final nail in the coffin, Froslass, Mismagius, and Sableye all outclass it as a spinblocker, as all three of these can use Taunt effectively to prevent Blastoise and Hitmontop from using Foresight. Overall, you are better off using a different spinblocker, but its high defenses with Eviolite make Dusclops a usable mixed wall.</p>
[SET]
name: RestTalk
move 1: Rest
move 2: Sleep Talk
move 3: Will-O-Wisp
move 4: Seismic Toss
item: Eviolite
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 176 Def / 80 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With no reliable recovery, a RestTalk set is Dusclops's best shot at competing in UU. With Rest, it can cure itself of status, heal itself back to full HP, and use Sleep Talk to attack while sleeping. Will-O-Wisp is its best shot at supporting its teammates by crippling physical attackers, which enables Dusclops to more easily take their attacks. Seismic Toss deals damage and, more importantly, prevents Dusclops from being Taunt bait. Seismic Toss is chosen over Night Shade because Dusclops is better off hitting Normal-types instead of Ghost-types as Ghost-types will beat it regardless.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Ghost-types such as Froslass, Mismagius, and Sableye are the biggest threats to this set, as they are immune to Seismic Toss and can Taunt Dusclops to prevent it from using its other moves. Nasty Plot users, such as Zoroark and the previously mentioned Mismagius, can abuse Dusclops's weaknesses and use it as setup bait. Although RestTalk Snorlax can't do much back, it can shrug off the burn from Will-O-Wisp with Rest and force Dusclops out with Whirlwind. Choice Scarf Heracross can take on all of these Pokemon and can also switch in on Will-O-Wisp from Mismagius or Sableye thanks to Guts. Flash Fire users such as Arcanine, Chandelure, and Houndoom can pose a threat, switching in on Will-O-Wisp and forcing Dusclops out. Running a bulky Water-type on your team, such as Milotic or Suicune, can alleviate this problem, scaring off the Flash Fire users with STAB Scald. Due to the new sleep mechanics, using Heal Bell support in the form of Umbreon is a good idea, letting you cure Dusclops of the sleep status should it be forced to switch out.</p>
<p>Toxic can be used over Will-O-Wisp, as this will make it easier to wear down Milotic, whom would otherwise switch in on Will-O-Wisp and abuse Marvel Scale. However, if you are having problems with Milotic, you are better off using a special attacker that can hit it super effectively, such as Raikou, Roserade, or Zapdos, in order to deal with it.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Out of Dusclops's other options, Trick Room stands out the most. With Trick Room, Dusclops can support a slow, hard-hitting Pokemon such as Escavalier. However, Dusclops cannot abuse it itself due to its abysmal offensive stats. A Calm Mind set with an EV spread of 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD and a Bold nature can be used to boost its mediocre Special Attack and raise its already good Special Defense to a godlike level, but this is better left to other Calm Mind users such as Chandelure and Suicune. Dusclops has options such as Curse, Destiny Bond, and Memento, which can put your opponent in a tough spot, but all three of these options can end up sacrificing Dusclops at the wrong time. Dusclops does indeed learn Taunt, but it is too slow to use it effectively. Night Shade hits Ghost-type Pokemon unlike Seismic Toss, but more often than not it is a waste because Dusclops loses to its Ghost-type brethren one-on-one. A set using Dusclops's other form of recovery, Pain Split, can be used, but it is not as effective as Rest because as the opposition gets worn down more and more, Dusclops will recover even less HP, making it easier to kill.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Special set-up sweepers carrying super effective STAB attacks, particularly Chandelure, Mismagius, and Zoroark, are more than capable of forcing Dusclops out and using it as setup bait. Assuming Life Orb is the held item, they will all OHKO Dusclops with their super effective STAB moves after it has switched into Stealth Rock once and will 2HKO Dusclops without the residual damage. However, Zoroark needs to be careful about switching in repeatedly, since it lacks an immunity to Seismic Toss, and Chandelure and Mismagius must look out for Night Shade.</p>
<p>Flash Fire users, such as Arcanine, Houndoom, and the aforementioned Chandelure, get a boost to their Fire-type attacks upon switching in on Will-O-Wisp, and proceed to always do enough damage to Dusclops to prevent it from effectively using Rest against them. In a similar fashion, Choice Band or Swords Dance Heracross can switch in on Will-O-Wisp thanks to Guts, and start dealing lots of damage to Dusclops or set up on it, respectively.</p>
<p>If Dusclops is not using Toxic, Milotic can easily switch in on Will-O-Wisp to get the Marvel Scale boostand either phaze Dusclops with Dragon Tail or try to burn it with Scald. RestTalk Suicune doesn't care about status and, like Milotic, can either phaze it or attempt to burn it with Scald.</p>
<p>Taunt users, such as Crobat and Mew, stop Dusclops from recovering with Rest or burning them and are able to heal damage taken from Seismic Toss with Roost or Recover, respectively. Xatu isn't affected by Will-O-Wisp thanks to its ability, Magic Bounce, and can wear Dusclops down with Night Shade and Roost off the damage Dusclops deals to it.</p>
